HIPAA
GENESIS REHAB SERVICES®
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Genesis Rehab Services® (“GRS”) is required by law to maintain the privacy of your medical information and to provide you with this notice so you will understand how we may use or share your medical information and GRS’ legal duties and privacy practices relative to your medical information. GRS is required to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose your medical information. We are unable to describe every possible way that we may use or disclose medical information under each category below. However, all of the ways we are permitted or required to use and disclose information will fall into one of the categories.
For Treatment. We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, therapists, or other persons who are involved in taking care of you. For example, specialists may need access to your health information. A doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know that you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. The doctor may also need to involve the dietitian, the pharmacist and therapist in your treatment plan. Different departments of a location also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate your care and provide you with medication, lab work and x-rays. We may also disclose medical information about you to people outside this location who may assist in transitioning your care to community providers, or directly to community providers that may be involved in your care after discharge. This may include visiting nurses that provide care in your home. In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to your healthcare services providers following your discharge.
For Payment. We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed to you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, in order to be paid, we may need to share information with your health plan about services that Genesis provided to you. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
OTHER ALLOWABLE USES OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION
Law Enforcement. We may disclose your medical information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena.
Correctional Institution. Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or its agents medical information necessary for your health and the health and safety of others.
Funeral Directors, Medical Examiners, and Coroners. We may disclose medical information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose medical information to funeral directors as necessary.
Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may disclose medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement to facilitate donation and transplantation.
As Required by Law. Genesis may use or disclose medical information if the use or disclosure is required by law and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of the law.
Genesis may, in accordance with the law, disclose medical information that it believes in good faith is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or public. Genesis would disclose such information to a person reasonably able to prevent or lessen the serious and imminent threat.
OTHER USES OF MEDICAL INFORMATION
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. This includes most disclosures of psychotherapy notes, the use of your medical information for marketing purposes, disclosures that constitute the sale of medical information, and other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written permission. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you. You also will be unable to revoke written permission to disclose medical information that you gave as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage where the law allows the insurer to contest a claim under the policy or the policy itself.
YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION RIGHTS
Although your health record is the physical property of Genesis, the information in your health record belongs to you. You have the following rights:
• Right to Request Restrictions. You may request that we not use or disclose your medical information for a particular reason related to treatment, payment, or health care operations or that we not disclose medical information to a family member or other specific relative or close friend involved in your care. We must comply with this request if you pay for your care entirely out-of-pocket and the disclosure is not required by law. If we are unable to agree to a requested restriction, we are not required to comply with the request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. You must submit your request for restrictions in writing to the Privacy Officer Designee. In your request, you must tell us 1) what information you want to limit; 2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and 3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
• Right to Request Alternative Locations or Confidential Communications. During the course of treatment we will routinely communicate with you regarding your care. As stated above, we will only disclose to other authorized people the information which is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your care or payment related to your care. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a confidential manner or at a specific location. For example, you may ask that we contact you via mail to a post office box. You must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Officer Designee. We will not ask you the reason for your request. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
• Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to review and copy your medical information. You have the right to request an electronic copy of your medical information. You may request that we send a copy of your medical information directly to another person. You may verbally request to review your record. You must submit your request for a paper or electronic copy of your medical record in writing to the Privacy Officer Designee. We may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies (including electronic media, if applicable) associated with your request.
• Right to Amend. If you believe that any medical information in your records is incorrect or if you believe that important information is missing, you may request that we amend the existing information or add the missing information. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not specify in what way the information is incorrect or incomplete. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that was not created by us, is not part of the medical information kept by Genesis, or is accurate and complete. You must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Officer Designee. In addition, you must provide a reason for your request.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You may request that we provide you with a written accounting of all disclosures made by us during a certain time period. This is a list of certain disclosures we made of your medical information. It will not include certain disclosures such as those made for treatment, payment or healthcare operations purposes. You must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Officer Designee. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years from the date the request is submitted and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists during any 12-month period, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list.
• Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of our Notice of Information Practices upon request, even if you agreed to receive the notice electronically. You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, https://www.genesishcc.com, by clicking on the Privacy link and selecting the Notice of Privacy Practices. You may obtain a paper copy of this notice from the Privacy Officer Designee.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Genesis or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Genesis, contact the Genesis Compliance Officer by calling the Genesis Dialogue Line at 1-800-944-7776 or by contacting WeCare@genesishcc.com. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
Genesis reserves the right to change its privacy practices as set forth in this notice and to make the new provisions effective for all medical information that Genesis maintains. We will post a copy of the current notice in the Genesis location and at the https://www.genesishcc.com website. The notice will specify the effective date (on the first page in the bottom left corner). In addition, if material changes are made to this notice, the notice will contain an effective date of the revisions and copies can be obtained by contacting the Privacy Officer Designee.
FOR QUESTIONS, MORE INFORMATION, OR TO REPORT A PROBLEM
If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the Genesis Privacy Officer listed in your Admission Packet or Documents. The Privacy Officer or representative will advise you in the steps necessary to exercise these rights.
Genesis Rehab Services Corporate Headquarters Phone: 610-444-6350 or 1-800-ASKKUS-1 (1-800-275-5871) |